BeliefNet

Q. Do you have to give up meat, alcohol, and sex to be a good Buddhist?
A. Not at all. Being a good Buddhist entails many things, especially the mindful practice of ethical morality, meditative awareness, and wisdom coupled with love and unselfishness. So meat, alcohol, and sex are not the top evils for Buddhists.
Since one of Buddhism's principal tenets is compassion and nonviolence, cruelty to animals--and to all forms of life--is discouraged. In this light, vegetarianism, a common practice among many Buddhists, makes good sense; it is a way to practice nonviolence and lovingkindness...

It's time to deal with violence at home and in ourselves, rather than perpetrate more violence in the world.
This article originally appeared on Beliefnet on September 12th, 2001.
With yesterday's tragic events, we may be on the brink of an escalating war in the Middle East. I think that we must look into our hearts and minds to see what we are doing--individually and collectively--to alleviate or perpetuate these problems, and how we might become part of their eventual solution.
I think an eye-for-an-eye retaliatory approach is not the most measured response at this time; it could simply...

Although some teachers say no, many practitioners do so successfully.
Q: Can one be a Christian and a Buddhist?
A: My own lama, the late Venerable Kalu Rinpoche, used to say at his monastery in Darjeeling, West Bengal, that practicing two different religions was like trying to sew with a needle that has two points. In other words, there's no place for the thread that would join two pieces of a garment.
On the other hand, during his many teaching tours and travels in Europe and America, he would often, when asked, tell Westerners that they could not only practice Buddhism but also take refuge...

Everyone is capable of that spiritual illumination called enlightenment--especially during Rohatsu.
The first time I sat in on a Rohatsu sesshin--an intensive meditation period to commemorate Buddha's enlightenment day--was December 1974, and I was at Antai-ji Temple in Kyoto, Japan. We'd be awakened each morning in darkness at 3:30 or 4 by shrill bell ringing, and suddenly the zendo where two dozen of us outside visitors slept would be flooded with light, and there'd be a mad rush to extract ourselves from our sleeping bags or quilts before they were rolled up and stored in the closet.
We'd...

Q. How does Buddhism relate to nature? My church does not often teach about mother nature, or even the human body and its place in the universe.
A The Buddha himself, 2,500 years ago, exhorted each of his monks to plant a tree every year as a way of preserving the environment and repaying Mother Nature for whatever resources they had consumed. In 1990, when the Dalai Lama visited our meditation center in the Dordogne Valley of southern France to teach 5,000 students on awakening bodhicitta the altruistic heart of enlightenment, he planted a tree at the opening ceremonies. It was a blessing of the natural...

More than a gesture, a bow is an act of veneration -- for ourselves and the universe.
Q. Why do Buddhists bow? What purpose does it serve?
Bowing is a common practice in Asia, both within and outside religious circles, a way of expressing respect and reverence, as well as a form of greeting. In India, for example, people bow and say namaste, which means "I bow to honor the divine within you." It is a salutation that recognizes the spirit, like the Hebrew word "shalom," and is used for both coming together and parting. In Tibet, we bow and say tashi delek, meaning "excellent luck and auspicious...

What do all those white scarves and red strings mean? The Lama gives a primer on Tibetan Buddhist blessings.
Q. At a recent talk by the Dalai Lama, I received a red cord tied around my neck. I also learned that in Tibetan Buddhism, one offers a white scarf to a lama, who then places it around your neck. What is the significance of these objects, and how should they be used?
A. The red string is called a “protection and blessing cord.” Traditionally, a lama ties a knot in the cord, then prays over it and blows the power of his mantra into it. Then he places it around one’s neck as a blessing....

Making enlightenment a priority.
My friend Joseph Goldstein, the Insight Meditation teacher, and I were eating breakfast together in Boston's Copley Square recently--discussing our writing projects, our pilgrimages, and our late Asian gurus. Then we fell upon the inevitable subject of what we will be doing on the millennial eve.
Cultures use many different calendars. While Jews are marking the year 5760, for my Tibetan friends, it is the Earth Rabbit Year, the 2126th year of their reckoning. Therefore, I doubt that everything in our world will change overnight as the apocalypticists predict,...

Whether elaborate or spartan, what a true home altar really needs is attention and faith.
Q: I would like to create a home shrine. What are the essentials of a true Buddhist altar? Tibetans often have amazing altars in their temples and homes, but I would like to have something simpler, so I'm looking for the basics.
A: I love altar practice. My home shrine helps focus my spiritual practice and create sacred space, and my meditation seat in front of the altar invites me to daily practice. Not that you need an altar or other kinds of props for following the path of awakening, but altars are a beautiful,...

What happens when you withdraw from the world and concentrate on spiritual practice?
Q. I heard you were in meditation retreat for six years. What is the purpose of Buddhist retreat and what was it like?
A. A retreat is like an extended Sabbath, a holy time dedicated to spirit and reflection. In the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim traditions, a Sabbath was built into each week to provide a regularly scheduled time for people to let go of work and ordinary concerns and turn their hearts and minds toward spiritual matters. Many Buddhist cultures do the same: in southeast Asia, for example, the days...